Posted on by Catherine

Rating and Ranking: June and July

With the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, I thought I’d merge the two since June didn’t give me much time to read but July definitely did! I wanted to read a lot of romance and just live a little vicariously through these books and I of course had to include a lot of LGBTQ+ books since it was Pride Month in June. So, without further ado, here goes!

Gulliver’s Travels – Johnathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels is a book about a man named Gulliver who travels around the world to fantasy lands of all sorts. First he goes to a place called Lilliput where everyone there is essentially human but really tiny, like only six inches in height. They treated Gulliver like a god and were very accomodating. Gulliver also had to help them with a neighbouring land who was an enemy of Lilliput.

The second land he went to, called Brobdingnag, was the complete opposite: everyone there were huge: something around 60 feet tall. Again, Gulliver was accomodated for and was well respected, but since he was small compared to the Brobdingnags, he couldn’t do much.

In all honesty I didn’t end up paying much attention to the end of the book because it was almost the same thing just different font, so to speak. Another new land with another new people, and not much plot just explanations, infodumping of how everything worked.

I gave this book a 3 stars because I really enjoyed the first half but then the second half was pretty boring.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass – Adan Jerreat-Poole

This is a book about a girl named Eli, who isn’t quite human. She may look human, but she was actually made by witches to hunt ghosts.

One day, she’s supposed to be dealing with a ghost but ends up just murdering a living man, and now she’s worried she’s going to be unmade. Teaming up with humans who know just a little too much about the witch world and who have some special plans of their own, Eli learns a strong message about what makes you human, what makes you alive.

I give this book a 4/5 stars. It didn’t hook me as much as I thought it would but it was a great read nonetheless and I greatly enjoyed it.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Sàenz

This book is a reread but it’s the first time I’m writing about it here on my blog. I LOVE IT.

This is a masterpiece of writing, philosophy, romance, existentialism, coming-of-age, self-acceptance and personal growth… I cannot say enough good things about this book.

It’s about two Mexican-American boys, one named Aristotle (but he goes by Ari) who lives with his mom, a professor, and his father, a Vietnam war veteran. Ari has two older sisters who have already moved out, and an older brother in prison that his family doesn’t talk about. He’s bit of a loner, doesn’t trust anyone very much and isn’t ready for adulthood.

Dante, on the other hand, has two very loving parents, lives in a safe household, and is a very optimistic, loving boy.

When the two meet at a community swimming pool, Dante starts teaching Ari to swim and the two of them become fast friends… and even more.

5/5 stars. Beautiful writing, an incredible plot, amazing characters, and lots of great life lessons while not being preachy or moralising, set in Texas, 1970s. Will recommend to just about anybody. Do look up content warnings though.

Ophelia After All – Raquel Marie

Ophelia After All is a book about a girl named Ophelia Rojas, a Cuban-American high school girl. She likes boys, Cuban food, and her garden of roses.

But then as prom season rolls around, she meets Talia, and the two friend groups start slowly merging. Ophelia finds herself falling for Talia, and doesn’t know really how to deal with this newfound sexuality: after all, she’s always thought she was straight.

This is a book about self-discovery and acceptance, and it’s very cutely written with characters you can’t help but love. And a surprise at the end of the book (or at least my copy)? Two playlists that match the vibes of the book. If this book wasn’t already a 5/5 stars, that made it even better.

Now Entering Addamsville – Francesca Zappia

I won this book the second time I won the Ghost Story Contest, and it was the first book I annotated. (I didn’t actually write in it, I just put sticky notes. I can’t handle writing in a book with ink or graphite.)

Zora Novak already lives a pretty troubled life. Her mother is gone (likely dead, but there wasn’t any body or anything when Dasree Novak ran away into the Addamsville woods, so as far as we know she could be alive). Her father is in prison. Her older sister and her boyfriend are essentially in charge of raising her and getting enough money to support the family in their small town of Addamsville.

To make matters worse, Addamsville has ghosts in it. Not everyone can see them, and most think it’s just a hoax for tourists to come and be spooked (“ooh, haunted small town”). But Zora can see them. A while ago, a special kind of ghost called a firestarter, burned down a house and killed some people. Zora went to help, but ended up losing two of her fingers in the process.

So after more firestarters arrive on the scene and start causing drama, people are accusing Zora of arson, who now has to team up with her rich cousin Artemis to solve who is actually doing the murders. And to add to the problems, a film crew is in Addamsville to shoot a silly ghost-hunting show.

This book is 5/5 stars, I normally don’t read mystery, much less murder mystery, but I really enjoyed this one and it was pretty tame. (Also as a side note, Zora is canonically asexual and it’s the perfect kind of casual representation we love to see!)

You Should See Me In A Crown – Leah Johnson

This book follows the story of Liz Lighty, a girl living in a small town in Indiana where the one thing that almost everyone is obsessed with in school is prom season. It’s been the highlight for generations. Liz, living with her grandparents and sick younger brother, wants to go to Pennington for university and is relying heavily on getting a certain scholarship.

She doesn’t get it.

Now she has to run for prom queen, because whoever wins gets money, so she’s not completely without hope. Except Liz had zero intention of running before this catastrophe, and she’d almost rather do anything else. But at this point, it’s worth a shot.

Liz’ campaign goes pretty well, but there’s soon a bit of a catch. She starts falling for her competition, a new girl named Mack. Will this hurt her chances of winning in this small high school… or boost them?

This was a 5/5 star read, with a satisfying ending and a plot that just keeps you hooked from page 1 till the end.

Some Girls Do – Jennifer Dugan

Morgan: star track athlete, forced to move out of her Catholic School after coming out as a lesbian.

Ruby: following her mother’s footprints being a pageant queen, but doesn’t want to be. She prefers working on her 1970 Ford Torino.

Both fall for each other, but while Morgan wants a fresh start at her new school, Ruby isn’t ready to come out. How will they resolve their issues? Will the relationship survive?

This was a great book. The ending is satisfying, the writing is easy to follow and it keeps you hooked, but the only reason I’m giving this a 4/5 stars is that I felt there were a lot of issues that could have been avoided, and some parts made me really annoyed. But overall it was a great book!

Red, White, and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston (Reread)

Yes, I reread RW&RB because I heard of the movie coming out, as I assume a lot of people did. Sue me.

If you’re new and want to know my opinions on it, you can find that information here.

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster – Andrea Mosqueda

It’s almost time for Maggie Gonzalez to find a date for her younger sister’s quinceañera, but there are three problems.

One: Her on-and-off boyfriend, Matthew, who he’s still kinda-sorta friends with.

Two: Her best friend Amanda, who Maggie has been crushing on essentially forever.

Three: The new girl, Dani, who’s cute, and Maggie’s starting to develop new fun feelings.

For her end of year art project, Maggie decides to make a collection of private Instagram posts (her medium of choice being photography, of course) to decide on a date. What could possibly go wrong?

This was a 5/5 star read. I loved how it presented the problem of ‘too many feelings for too many people’ and didn’t make it a horrible cliché. Maggie herself even expresses concern about it, and about her friend’s boundaries. And while the issues definitely show up throughout the book, it’s resolved in a respectful and satisfying manner.

I also didn’t think I was going to enjoy the friends-to-lovers arc (I’m an enemies-to-lovers girl myself) but it was very well-written.

The Red Scrolls of Magic – Cassandra Clare

Part of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, this book tells the tale of Magnus Bane and Alec Lightowod on vacation in Europe… until they get word of a cult called the Crimson Hand that Magnus may or may not have started by accident, and said cult is wreaking havoc. What a way to have a vacation.

I gave this book a 4/5 stars because while the world is great and I love the Shadowhunter Chronicles, this one didn’t hit as much as I thought it would. I’m also reading it for the second time so maybe that affected my rating.

Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao

Xiran Jay Zhao is a wizard with words. I am still reeling with awe from having read this book.

Wu Zetian wants revenge for the death of her sister in a Chrysalis, a metal monster that is piloted by men to defeat Hunduns, invaders of the land of Huaxia. When the Chrysalises go to fight, the men essentially suck up the spirit energy from the girls and use that to kill Hunduns, but that ends up killing the girls, called concubines, as well.

When Zetian enlists, she ends up taking over her Chrysalis and killing the male pilot instead of the other way around, she gets the title of an Iron Widow. She is now piloted with one of the most powerful yet controversial pilots, Li Shimin, nicknamed the Iron Demon.

In a Hunger-Games-esque series of events, the two of them have to work together to defeat Hunduns and maybe, just maybe dismantle the sexist system along the way.

A sci-fi retelling of the story of the real Wu Zetian, the first female Chinese Empress, this book is everything I wanted it to be and more, infused with feminine rage and power. I am in love with this book. 5/5 stars. Do look up content warnings for this book, however.

Final Ranking:

5/5 stars: 

  • Aristotle And Dante (Benjamin Alire Sàenz)
  • Ophelia After All (Raquel Marie)
  • Now Entering Addamsville (Francesca Zappia)
  • You Should See Me In A Crown (Leah Johnson)
  • Red, White, and Royal Blue (Casey McQuiston)
  • Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster (Andrea Mosqueda)
  • Iron Widow (Xiran Jay Zhao) ❤ ❤ ❤

4/5 stars:

  • The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass (Adan Jerreat-Poole)
  • Some Girls Do (Jennifer Dugan)
  • The Red Scrolls of Magic (Cassandra Clare)

3/5 stars: Gulliver’s Travels (Jonathan Swift)

I noticed I was reading a lot of books about intersectionality, unintentionally, but then as June and July went on, I decided to seek out books that had intersectionality in them. Intersectionality is a concept that is basically when a person fits into two marginalized groups and has different types of discrimination. For example, Liz Lighty (You Should See Me In A Crown) is black, poor, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Ari and Dante are Latino boys who are also gay.

It’s important to read stories from people who have different lived experiences. That way you can get to understand people better and open your mind to different worldviews. I’m not an expert, but books are a great way to learn and share stories.

Let me know how your summer is going and how your reading or writing is going, down in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out my novel, Scarred!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

Posted on by Catherine

Rating and Ranking: April and May

Here we go! I’ve been super busy (and chances are I’ll be busy again with exam season coming up) but here are my reads for April and May!

The Poetry of Robert Frost – Robert Frost

I got a huge vintage copy of this at the thrift store and was super excited to get into it! This is my first full poetry book I’ve ever read and I really enjoyed it! When I got to read the poems that I recognized from previous classes or any other place, it was a quick wave of nostalgia that felt good. I also liked that a lot of the poems talked about nature and all its aspects, the good and the bad.

I will rate this a four out of five stars for the nostalgia and simplicity and vibes of it.

The Atlas Six – Olivie Blake (The Atlas, #1)

I really liked this book! I’ve been wanting to read it for quite a while and I’d heard great things about it too. I heard it gave off dark academia vibes and was very immersive, which I have to say it did! But for me, the plot didn’t go as fast as I thought it would and it had just a smidge too much philosophy in it. Don’t get me wrong, philosophical books are great in their own respects, but I felt like I wasn’t expecting it to be as philosophical as it was.

The story is basically about how the top six most powerful mages (or medians, as they’re called) are brought to the Alexandrian Society to study and become caretakers of all the ancient knowledge stored within the Alexandrian Society, recruited and working alongside a mysterious man named Atlas Blakely.

The six initiates are Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona (physicists that can control the natural elements of the world), Tristan Caine (who can see through illusions and see the world in all its real glory), Parisa Kamali (a telepath), Callum Nova (a manipulative empath), and Reina Mori (a naturalist who can understand the language of plants).

As they form alliances and get used to life in the Alexandrian Society, they learn that at the end of initiation, one of them will end up dead: eliminated by the other five initiates.

The characters are all incredibly well thought out, and I will definitely continue the series with The Atlas Paradox. My personal favourite is Parisa (she’s a powerful and confident woman who doesn’t have to sacrifice any femininity!). I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Stone Blind – Natalie Haynes

Everyone knows the Medusa story: that she was a beautiful woman, sexually assaulted by Poseidon in Athena’s temple, and got turned into a monster for it with snakes for hair and a gaze that turns anyone who looks at her to stone. Then she is killed by the hero Perseus, who takes her head and uses it to do a bunch of things (save towns, kill evil people, etc). Out of her stomach comes Chrysaor, a warrior of gold, and Pegasus, the first winged horse.

There are many different interpretations of this myth, but this book takes the myth and sheds new light on it, a different perspective if you will. I really enjoyed this book. Immersive and beautiful, and even if I know the story and most of the Greek myths like the back of my hand, I still followed along with the story without feeling bored in the sense of ‘oh, I know what’s coming next’.

I will give this book a five out of five stars. An absolute masterpiece.

Iron Heart – Nina Varela (Crier’s War, #2)

Ayla and Lady Crier are back and sweeter than ever!

Iron Heart follows them both again as they work together to take down Scyre Kinok and his followers. Apparently, the Scyre has given his Automa followers a new substance called Nightshade (instead of the heartstone that they normally need for survival) but it turns out to be rapidly addictive and can turn even the sweetest and most harmless of Automa into savage killing machines.

Crier runs away from her arranged wedding to the Scyre in order to find Ayla, who is now working with Queen Junn (an enemy ruler to Lady Crier’s father, the sovereign of Rabu) to take down the Scyre and those of his followers addicted to Nightshade, terrorizing and killing any who get in their way.

There are epic battles, soft romantic scenes, pining, friendship, teamwork, and again, lovely world-building without infodumping. I love this series, and I’m sad it’s over but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Five out of five. I think that’s obvious by now.

Mirror Girls – Kelly McWilliams

Mirror Girls is a novel set in 1953 at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Two sisters, Magnolia and Charlene (who goes by Charlie) are separated at birth after their parents are killed for being of two different races. Magnolia is white-passing and is adopted by a rich white family, the Heathwoods, who live in a small town in the American South called Eureka. Charlie, on the other hand, is much darker-skinned and she is raised by her grandmother in Harlem, New York.

The story starts when Charlie’s Nana has to go back to Eureka so she can die in her hometown. There, Charlie learns of her sister, and around the same time, Magnolia learns of hers. Such brings about a curse on the two of them. Technically the curse started when they were originally separated, but now they’re starting to feel the effects of it. Magnolia’s reflection in the mirror disappears, and she can’t eat anything. She has to choose a side: pass for white her whole life, or live as a Black woman with her sister, and give up the life of luxury she’s been living with the Heathwoods her whole life.

I loved this book. It was very real, and I normally don’t read the acknowledgements section of a book, but something compelled me to do so when I finished this book. Turns out the author did a lot of research before writing this book, and it definitely showed.

I think it’s really important to read books about experiences you might not be familiar with and to learn about our world’s history even if it’s not kind in the slightest, because it can help us understand each other and why things are the way they are in the current world.

I give this book also 5/5 stars, and I truly recommend it to absolutely everyone, whether you’re a fan of historical fiction/fantasy or not.

Alright now to round up our final ratings:

  1. Stone Blind (Natalie Haynes), Iron Heart (Nina Varela), Mirror Girls (Kelly McWilliams) – 5/5 stars!
  2. The Atlas Six (Olivie Blake) – 4.5/5 stars!
  3. The Poetry of Robert Frost (Robert Frost) – 4/5 stars!

Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

Posted on by Catherine

Rating And Ranking: March 2023

You know the drill by now, let’s get right into my five reads in March 2023! This will bring us to 12 out of 54 total books read this year.

Ballet Shoes – Noel Streatfeild

This book was a re-read. I’ve owned this book since I was quite young, and I decided to come back to it as I waited for my books that I put on hold at my local library to be ready. The book was released in 1936 which makes me think it is set in the 1920s.

This book features three sisters, orphaned separately but adopted by a man called Great-Uncle Matthew who collects fossils. The three sisters, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy are left in the care of Great-Uncle-Matthew’s (G.U.M’s) niece Sylvia, and Sylvia’s nurse Nana. They are given the last name of Brown (Sylvia’s last name) but then since they are ‘of no real relation’ they choose the name of Fossil after GUM refers to them as such in a letter.

GUM left the girls money to live on, enough for five years since he’s on a big adventure to collect fossils with some friends. But once the money starts running out, Sylvia decides to take in boarders — people who will live in the house and pay them.

One of the boarders is a woman named Theo Dane, who works at the Children’s Academy of Dancing And Stage Training. Theo suggests that Sylvia send the three Fossil sisters to train there, because when they are older they can work in the theatre and get money to support their families.

At first, Sylvia is hesitant but once she is properly persuaded, the Fossil sisters work hard and prepare for a marvelous life on the ballet scene…

I love this book. I definitely have a different perspective on it as I did in the past, but the core of the story and the plot is still engaging and fun. The characters are all very intriguing, and the sisters have such different personalities – Pauline, being the oldest, is the more responsible mature one, Petrova is a tomboy, and Posy is the light-hearted determined youngest.

I give this book a five stars. For a book that came out in 1936 its quite easy to read and a great experience overall.

The Inheritance Games (Book 1) – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games has been on my TBR for a while, but when I finally got to read it, I found it strangely underwhelming.

TIG follows the story of Avery Grambs, a high school girl who is suddenly left a vast fortune and a mansion (among many other rich-people things) from a guy named Tobias Hawthorne. She’s of no relation to the Hawthorne family, she barely knows they exist, and she’s been living with her older sister for a while.

But when she gets this inheritance, her life is suddenly turned upside down. The entire Hawthorne family (who all expected to get Tobias’ fortune) hates her. She moves into Hawthorne House, where live the four Hawthorne brothers and their family. She now has a lawyer, a security team, media coverage… all the works.

But… why?

Avery teams up with many various characters – the Hawthorne brothers, her lawyer, etc – and try to figure out why she is suddenly and viciously thrown into this new life?

I give this book a 3 star rating. There were many (almost two many) twists, and too much drama, not enough plot. The romance was not romance-ing, and also there were WAY too many red flags in the love interests. I know there’s a trope about brooding bad boy and how people find that interesting, but I can’t handle romance if the love interest is just going to end up being toxic.

And the ending definitely should’ve been way more interesting and clever than it was. It had a very ‘is that it?’ ending which left me disappointed, I’ll admit.

The writing is good and easy to follow, but these key plot devices brought the experience down for me. I don’t think I’ll finish the series.

Crier’s War (Book 1) – Nina Varela

Crier’s War: I cannot say enough good things about this book.

This book is told in two points of view: Ayla, a regular human girl, and Lady Crier, an Automa (essentially an automaton, a human being, but inorganic). Lady Crier is the daughter of the Sovereign, and Ayla is a servant. They live in the kingdom of Rabu.

Lady Crier is about to be engaged to Scyre Kinok, another Automa who plans to change the way their world and societal system is run (and he’s growing quite a following). Ayla wants nothing more than to kill Lady Crier as revenge, since Automae killed her family, ages ago.

After an unexpected situation in which Ayla ends up as Crier’s handmaiden, the two start realising how much they have in common, and how much they are falling for each other. On Ayla’s side, it’s a bit of an enemies-to-lovers situation. She’s supposed to kill Crier. She’s supposed to hate her and her entire kind… but it’s turning out to be quite the opposite. On Crier’s side, it’s a pining situation. Automa are supposed to be superior to humans, not fall in love with them.

I love this book. Well written, almost poetic in a way, similar to the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It’s easy to follow and immersive.

Sometimes I don’t like it when people add timelines and history/backstory of their world (infodumping) in the beginning, but Nina Varela does it so well! She has only the important points, short and understandable, and it actually adds to the story rather than distract from it: and it takes a really good author to do that. It gives a feel like the world has always existed even before this book was written, and the timeline in the beginning of the book isn’t even that long!

Five stars, easy peasy. Emotional and interesting, and fun. I can’t wait to read book 2!

The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

This was a wild ride!

The Great Gatsby is told from the POV of Nick Carraway, a man who just moved into West Egg – somewhere near New York, USA. His next door neighbour is a mysterious, successful young man named Jay Gatsby who lives in a mansion and has parties every night with a bunch of different people!

Jay is in love with one of Nick’s friends, Daisy Buchanan, but she already has a husband: a man named Tom., as well as a daughter. Jay and Daisy used to be lovers, and apparently he never got over her.

Most of the action following this plot, however, takes place closer to the end of the novel; say, around the second half is where things get really interesting and a bit unhinged. I really liked it and I can see why people in the 1920s as well as today would enjoy this book. It’s one of those books that I would really consider to be a timeless classic. Some books are incredibly outdated and boring, yet revered, and The Great Gatsby is really not the case.

Apart from the Jay x Daisy romance plot, there isn’t much of a clear storyline for the first half or so of the book, however the events are fun and interesting enough that you can forget about plot. The first half of this book is essentially the definition of “no plot, just vibes” and I can really appreciate it!

I gave this book a 4 stars, simply because of the lack of plot. I enjoyed reading it but I was kinda waiting for there to be an actual storyline. A great book nonetheless that I think everyone should read!

Hamlet – William Shakespeare

This was a new style I was not used to reading, but the story was fun and twisted in ways I never expected.

Hamlet is about the Prince of Denmark (Hamlet himself) who’s father was killed. The Prince plans revenge, and after the ghost of his father appears, Hamlet speaks to him and learns that it was Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, who killed his father.

Hamlet ends up killing a man named Polonius (Claudius’ counsellor) thinking it’s his uncle, so Polonius’ son Laertes ends up plotting revenge against Hamlet. It’s a whole revenge triangle – no, not a triangle, a revenge web. There’s some romance, some family issues, some things that would be considered incredibly problematic in the modern world, and of course, everyone ends up dying in the end.

I gave this book 4 stars. I enjoyed the plot and thought the story was intriguing, but I deducted points because the copy I got from the library had explanations and stuff in the margins and it annoyed me so much! My eyes were jumping from the story to the explanations and it was very distracting. It made my reading very choppy.

But still a fun read! Note to self: find a better copy next time if you want to read more Shakespeare.

Alright now to round up our final ratings:

  1. Ballet Shoes (Noel Streatfeild), Crier’s War (Nina Varela) – 5/5 stars!
  2. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), Hamlet (William Shakespeare) – 4/5 stars!
  3. The Inheritance Games (Jennifer Lynn Barnes) – 3/5 stars!

Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out.

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

My book Scarred is now out for Pre-Order!

Posted on by Catherine

Rating and Ranking: January and February Reads

Alright here we are, the first Rating and Ranking of 2023! I have 7 books out of 54 of my total year goal, so here we go wrapping up the first two months of reading! This might be a longer one, so hang on for the ride…

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V. E. Schwab

I cannot say enough good things about this book!!

Adeline “Addie” LaRue was originally from France, in the 1700s, but she doesn’t want to be tied down to a husband and live in the same village for her whole short miserable life. To be forced to give birth and have kids, to lose her belief in magic in the world around her.

She has a friend, an old woman named Estelle who hasn’t quite yet converted to Christianity and still believes in ‘the old gods’. One thing that Estelle warns of is ‘don’t pray to the gods that answer after dark’. But on the night of Addie’s wedding, in a moment of desperation, she prays to the old gods, waiting for someone to save her, but when nobody answers, she reverts to praying when it’s dark. And someone answers.

Addie wants freedom. That’s what she asks for. And it comes with unforeseen results.

Addie is now going to live forever, but she will end up being forgotten by everyone who meets her the minute they turn their back.

The book goes between the 1700s and the 2010s between chapters and technically has three points of view: Addie in the 1700s, Addie in the quote un-quote ‘modern world’, and a boy named Henry that she meets in a bookstore in New York. What’s special about Henry, you ask? He’s the only one who remembers Addie.

“Three words, large enough to tip the world. I remember you.”

V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

This book was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! I think, alongside Red, White and Royal Blue, it’s my favourite standalone book ever! The yearning from every character, the heartbreak, the troubles, the romance and the heartwrenching quotes, it’s everything you could ever want in a standalone. At one point, I almost cried because of how absolutely beautiful the writing was. I wish I could write as beautifully as V. E. Schwab.

Sometimes when you read, your favourite characters are the side characters, but Addie is beautifully charming and just such an amazingly developped character that she blows your mind.

I can’t find enough words to explain how beautiful this book is. Go read it, that’s what I’ll leave you with. 10/10, 5 stars, you get the point. Absolutely stunning.

(Also, shoutout to my friend who got me this for Christmas! Thank you so much!)

The Fall of Numenor – J. R. R. Tolkien

If you’ve been around my page for whatever period of time, you know that I am a die-hard Tolkien fan. I’ve read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings many times, and watched the movies. So when Indigo’s newsletter told me that this book, which would be talking about the island kingdom of Numenor and the second age, I had to read it.

It was incredibly interesting, because while I know the events of the second age from other sources, it was really eye-opening to see it in so much detail. This was made almost exclusively from the late J. R. R. Tolkien’s notes on Middle Earth, and put together by his son and a team of others, and it just goes to show how much work Tolkien put into designing the world that he did, full with religions, hierarchies of all sorts, different fantasy races such as dwarves, elves, humans, and so much more.

There are maps and images and there’s even whole paragraphs describing the flora and fauna of Numenor.

To those of you who aren’t Tolkien fans and might have no idea what I’m talking about, Numenor was a set of islands gifted to humans for their service against the powers of Morgoth (basically the baddest of all bad guys at the time). The Numenorians could live longer, more plentiful lives as well. Numenor was a prosperous kingdom full of mariners and craftsmanship.

Sauron was one of Morgoth’s servants, but when Morgoth fell, he said he wanted to unite the peoples of Middle-Earth under his rule, not destroy them, but it was all a ruse. So when the Numenorians ended up trusting him, it led to their eventual downfall.

It was definitely a different read than what I’m used to. It followed a coherent storyline but at the same time almost felt like a non-fiction read, since it not only chronicled what happened in the second age but told also of various, more informative things. You know how, when writing fiction, people tell not to ‘infodump’ because it adds nothing? This book is the one and only exception where infodumping is a 100% nessecary.

Personally I am not as big of a fan of non-fiction as I am of fiction however this was both masterfully written and it’s about a subject that has always interested me.

It’s a 10/10 and a 5 star read. I was considering giving it 4.9/5 for the textbook-esque vibes but I can’t do that. Not to Tolkien.

Thanks Mom and Dad for this lovely Christmas gift 🙂

Mansfield Park – Jane Austen

Buckle up because this is a heavy Jane Austen filled month…

Mansfield Park follows the story of Fanny Price, brought up with her cousins at their estate of Mansfield Park after her immediate family falls into poverty. She is a very delicate kind of girl whom everyone has to almost tip-toe around (so to speak) and her old friend is her cousin Edmund.

A lot of classics I find have plot in the beginning, no plot in the middle, and plot in the end. Mansfield Park seems to drag for a lot longer than nessecary. If I am to keep the end a secret for those who might want to read it later, this is really all I can say.

I was not as big of a fan of Mansfield Park as I thought I would be. As a general rule I tend not to like ‘delicate female flower who can’t do anything for herself’ characters. I like feminine characters, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t like helplessness. So when everyone’s always doting over Fanny and treating her like a small child, it gets kinda boring to keep reading.

There’s also no real conflict, no reason for me to care about any of these characters. There’s no romance (and if there is, it’s problematic) and Fanny herself, even if she’s the main character, has very little actuall screen time.

I have very little to say on this one. It’s a 2 stars out of 5 for me.

Persuasion – Jane Austen

This one gets better!

Persuasion is about Anne Elliot, who, after a bit of a financial struggle, moves to Bath, England with her family. There she has to get used to the new society and make new friends, but the problem occurs when she meets Captain Wentworth.

Captain Wentworh was an officer in the navy when him and Anne met for the first time, 8 years ago, but not a very well-known or renowned one. He wasn’t rich, either, so he wasn’t the kind of man that the Elliots would approve of Anne marrying. So they broke it off, and thought they’d never see each other again.

But now, eight years later, he’s become a captain, a higher respectable rank, and he has money and more prestige. Anne at first is very awkward around him, and vice versa. She tries to convince herself she doesn’t have feelings for him, but it’s possible that he deserves a second chance?

This probably wouldn’t be a very acceptable relationship dynamic in modern society. The whole arc of ‘oh he was a nobody and I didn’t marry him, now he’s a somebody so I can’ doesn’t bode well nowadays and could even be considered borderline toxic.

But given that this is Victorian England, and marrying for money (especially for a woman) was nessecary and even expected, there’s little to no problem with it.

I liked it. I can’t say it’s the best book I’ve ever read, but it’s not the worst either. Anne is likeable and there is conflict and suspense (moderately so). I give this book a nice, comfortable 3.5/5 stars. (On Goodreads you can’t do half-stars so it’s rated a four over there, but oh well. 3.5/5 is the final rating).

Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen

This one is even better!

This book follows two sisters: Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. They move out of their home in Norland after it is given to their brother and his wife, and move to the country with their mother and younger sister, Margaret, who isn’t featured much, but still.

The two girls are very different. Elinor is reasonable and level-headed, while Marianne is more of a romantic, emotional and arts-oriented. The two find men that they admire in their new town. Elinor meets Edward Ferrars, and Marianne meets John Willoughby.

Edward and Elinor’s relationship seems steady, and it seems that they will be on track to marry. Marianne and John, who is mostly referred to as Willoughby in the book, seem also to be on track to marry, however Willoughby isn’t a very suitable guy for her.

However, both girls end up losing their relationships because both are engaged to somebody else!

Edward is engaged to a woman named Lucy Steele, one of Elinor’s friends. Willoughby runs off with another, richer woman.

While Elinor is doing her best to conceal her disappointment, Marianne falls into what can really only described as a heartbroken depression. Everything that reminds her of her old beau can make her cry. Nobody can say his name around her. And so on and so forth.

I won’t spoil the ending but needless to say it does end with everyone getting what they deserve and everything getting tied up nicely.

I will rate this 4 stars out of 5.

She Gets The Girl – Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

This book is about two girls: Alex Blackwood and Molly Parker. Alex is headstrong, a flirt, not really good with commitment, and struggling with an alcoholic mother. Molly is shy, socially awkward, and hopelessly in love with a girl from her high school named Cora Myers.

Alex is going to university for pre-med, to be a doctor, and for a bit of an escape from the responsibilities and trauma at home. It brings a pretty sizeable paycheck in and job security, but other than that, Alex isn’t that fond of pre-med. Molly wants a new start from the shy, awkward introvert from high school whose only friend is her mom.

Alex also recently broke up with her most steady girlfriend: a girl named Natalie. Alex’s uncertainty with commitment, and inability to respond with ‘I love you too’ ruins a special moment, and the two leave on less-than-ideal terms.

Both of them are going to the University of Pittsburgh, and after they meet unexpectedly at a party, Alex finds out about Molly’s crush.

Natalie is in a band called the Cereal Killers, and she’s going on tour. Alex suddenly gets an amazing idea: If she can help Molly get with Cora, then she can prove to Natalie that she’s changed and that she deserves a second chance. That she actually has friends, not just random hookups saved to her phone.

But of course, things don’t go as expected when Alex finds herself falling for Molly…

I really liked this book. It was fairly fast paced and the characters were great, but something about it didn’t hook me in as fast as I thought it would. I only really got invested closer to the end, and read it twice within the span of about a week to see if that would have helped me like it more. It didn’t, and all the surprises that come with reading a new book weren’t there the second time around.

I definitely recommend it. It does swear so I would say it’s a read more for people in high school and above, but also contains sensitive topics (e.g. alcoholism) so it’s a ‘read at your own discretion’ kind of book.

Another thing cool about this book is that the authors are married in real life, and from what I was told by the cashier when I bought this book is that the story is based on their own love story!

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

Afterlove – Tanya Byrne

Afterlove is such a cute book. I don’t see why it isn’t talked about more on the internet. I was given this by my friend before her exchange program was over and I’m so thankful for it and for her!

It follows the story of Ashana Persaud and Poppy Morgan, who meet on a boat ride when their two separate schools — Whitehawk and Roedean — go on a field trip. The two end up falling for each other quite fast.

They go on a lot of cute dates, but have a bit of a secret relationship because Poppy isn’t out to her parents, and Ash’s parent’s aren’t the most accepting. Finally on New Year’s Eve, Ash stays out a little later than she thought and gets herself in trouble with her parents, who really want her home. Unfortunately, Ash gets hit by a car before she can make it home.

Since Ash is the last person to die that year, she becomes a grim reaper, in charge of teenage sudden deaths. She meets Deborah (kind of like the head grim reaper), Dev, and Esen (two other grim reapers around her age… sort of).

As a grim reaper, she gets sticky notes from Deborah when someone’s going to die, and then she has to go and reap them, bring them to the beach where Charon takes them to whatever afterlife they believe in.

After visiting her grave site with Esen, Ash finds Poppy, who recognizes her. She’s not supposed to be recognized, because if she is, then that means that Poppy will die within the span of the next few days.

So they spend the next few days together as Poppy says goodbye in her own ways to her life before she eventually dies (I’m not going to spoil how that happens).

This was such a cute book! I read it in three-ish days, and it was weirdly comforting and cozy even with all the death and stuff involved. I loved reading about Ash and Poppy’s relationship unfold as well as how they come to terms with their own death.

I give this book 5 stars, which I didn’t think I’d do when I first opened the book up!

So my final ranking of all the books I’ve read in these two months:

  1. Afterlove by Tanya Byrne, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, and The Fall of Numenor by J. R. R. Tolkien (5/5 stars!)
  2. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, and She Gets The Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick (4/5 stars!)
  3. Persuasion by Jane Austen (3.5/5 stars!)
  4. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (2/5 stars!)

This was a long one, so if you’ve stuck around for this long, great! Thank you so much!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out, and leave a comment and tell me how your 2023 is going thus far!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

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To Rio and Beyond: Gymnast Memoirs

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Exam season took up so much of my time… but nevertheless, I’m back!

I’ve been following the sport of gymnastics for a long time. I started doing the sport when I was seven but didn’t watch it until later. When I was younger I would watch the 2012 Olympic finals recorded on YouTube. As I got older, I learned more and more about the sport. I watched the Rio 2016 Olympics live, and I loved it, getting to know all the names of famous gymnasts, figuring out who my favourites were, having fun listening to floor music, and lots more. 

Now, at 15, I decided to read two memoirs from American gymnasts that took to the international stage and emerged victorious. Today I will be talking about two gymnast’s memoirs: Simone Biles’ Courage To Soar and Lauren “Laurie” Hernandez’ I Got This. 

Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance (Simone Biles)

Anyone in gymnastics has heard of Simone. She is truly the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), with so many difficult eponymous skills under her belt. Eponymous means that the skill was named after her (for example: The Biles). A skill gets named after a gymnast if the gymnast is the first one to compete said skill in international competition. 

I got the pleasure to read about her experience growing up, going to the gym, and learning with her coaches before she turned to elite gymnastics. 

Of course being an elite gymnast isn’t easy, and there is a lot of mental pressure when you’re competing, whether on a national or international stage. 

Simone grew up in Spring, Texas with her grandparents, and is of Belizean descent. Her parents were alcoholics and drug addicts, and couldn’t care for her or her siblings. She had a younger sister Adria, two older brothers named Ron and Adam, and an older sister Ashley. After bouncing between foster homes for a few years, she and her siblings were eventually adopted by their grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles. 

But she found a love for gymnastics and continued with it ever since, leading her eventually to be the GOAT that she is now. 

She was in many competitions, from the 2013 Worlds all the way until the 2021 Olympics, however the memoir ends after the Rio 2016 Olympics, or shortly after. The mental pressure on a gymnast dubbed the GOAT is incredible, and hard to imagine. But I digress. 

Simone talks a lot about her setbacks as she was starting out – missing out on a Worlds team spot, not getting onto podiums, etc – but she also talks about her determination to get to the Olympics after that. You can really feel her excitement and pride when she makes the Olympic team as well as when she is doing her medal-winning routines. 

Simone has won a medal in almost every event, in every competition that year and many years since. She is the 2016 Team, All-Around, Floor, and Vault Gold medalist, Beam Bronze medallist. She is the most medalled gymnast of all time. 

After the Olympics she was on Dancing With The Stars, finishing fourth. 

It’s about here where the memoir ends, but since 2016, she came back to gymnastics for the 2017 Worlds and has continued with the sport ever since. After the 2021 Olympics where she withdrew from almost all finals except for the beam final due to mental health issues and injury, and since then she has become a strong advocate for mental health. 

I Got This: To Gold And Beyond (Laurie Hernandez)

Laurie, on the other hand, grew up in New Jersey, with her three older siblings, and lived with both her parents. She had a pretty normal childhood, and started gymnastics after ditching ballet at the age of five. 

She is of Puerto Rican descent and is the second US-born Latina to make it to the international stage on the US women’s gymnastics team. 

She suffered some injuries throughout her professional career, but nonetheless continued to improve her skills until she finally made it to the Olympic Team. She and Simone, as well as Alexandra “Aly” Raisman, Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas, and Madison “Madi” Kocian won gold in Rio 2016 in the Team Final, but Laurie also won silver on beam. Her very expressive performance and facial expressions got her the nickname of the ‘Human Emoji’ that year. 

Laurie was also on Dancing with the Stars after the Olympics, but came back to training in 2019 before competing at the Winter Cup in 2021. 

Laurie is now retired as of June 6th, 2021, but is sometimes a commentator for some American or international competitions.

Similarities and other thoughts

One thing that I found really cool about reading both of these memoirs is that their stories overlap, specifically when Laurie and Simone are talking about the Rio 2016 Olympics. 

They were together at the same time and place the majority of the time, but they also had different voices and perspectives, which was pretty clearly shown in each of their respective memoirs. 

I definitely recommend this, it’s very inspirational for whoever you are, in whatever stage of life. Whatever goals you have, if you need to push through adversity of any kind, then these are must-reads. If necessary, look up the trigger warnings, but none of the memoirs are graphic in any way. 

They also use a lot of gymnastics terminology, but there is typically an explanation of what the term means, or a gymnastics glossary in the end. 

I will leave you, lovely readers, with this final thought. Like Simone and Laurie tell us, even if you have responsibilities and a career that depends on you, your mental and physical health are more important than that. Take breaks, take care of yourself. 

Thanks for reading!

Do you follow any sports? Do you read memoirs? Do any of these memoirs sound interesting to you? Let me know in the comments below, and subscribe (if you feel so inclined!)

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska 

P.S. If you’ve read this far, thanks! A big, big surprise is coming in the next few weeks, and I can’t wait for you all to learn about it!

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Rating and Ranking: December (Last Post of 2022!)

December was a very busy month for me, so I didn’t get much reading in. But I ended up reading some really high-quality books, even though I had so many other projects running side by side. 

Circe – Madeline Miller

I read The Song Of Achilles (also by Madeline Miller) about a year ago and really enjoyed it. I picked up Circe at my school’s library and I have to say it felt quite different from reading The Song of Achilles!

While TSOA focused on the peril and the adventures of Achilles and Patroclus, and had romance and cute scenes (and other sadder, more heavy scenes) that made reading it a rollercoaster of emotion, Circe was calmer and more internally focused. 

Circe is a nymph, the daughter of Helios, the Titan of the sun, and Perse, an oceanid, which is an ocean nymph and a child of the Titan of the sea, Oceanus. From the day she was born, she was not necessarily outcast, but ignored, or left aside. She wasn’t as unearthly beautiful as most nymphs are (at least, according to her family) and didn’t have the booming godly voice that the others in her family had. She had the voice of a mortal.

Because she was more like a mortal than her family, no one really had any high expectations for her, which meant she could get away with more things. For example, she was kind to the Titan Prometheus (if you need a reminder who he is, he’s the guy who brought fire to the humans and was punished for it). When Prometheus was tied up and bleeding, she talked to him, brought him food and water. 

After a long series of events in which the treatment from her family inspires her to turn to witchcraft, she decides to use it on another nymph, Scylla, who ends up turning into the man-eating, ship-destroying sea monster we now know her as. The gods and Titans, afraid of her new power, exile her to the island of Aiaia, where most of her story takes place. One of the most iconic and well-known stories involving Circe is when Odysseus, the hero from the Trojan War, comes and stays with her for a year.  

Circe’s story is one of love and family and isolation, but has also become a bit of a feminist story as well. Circe manages to make a life of success and prosperity on her island, with her skills and her determination to not let the gods’ exile bring her down. 

I rate this book a four out of five stars. I have always loved Greek Mythology, and it was incredible to see the references to other stories and hear the names of old such as grey-eyed Athena or talks of the famous Paris and Helen of Troy. I’ll admit the majority of my Greek Myth knowledge comes from Percy Jackson, but nonetheless it helped me truly connect with the world. 

The reason it’s a four and not a five stars is because even though it was great, I found it to be quite slow-paced in the beginning, and even though it sped up and became intriguing later, I found it hard to get attached to the characters, and there was a lot more internal monologuing than I expected. 

I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of Madeline Miller’s other book, or any Greek Mythology fans in general. And even if you don’t understand Greek Myth, this book is still understandable and enjoyable. Circe is a wonderful, kind but stubborn, generous but proud, well-rounded character whose story deserves to be heard.

Red, White and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston

Where do I even begin with this book? It’s absolutely incredible. I have to consult a thesaurus to find the words to describe this literary masterpiece. Stunning. Extraordinary. Fabulous. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue is from the point of view of Alex Claremont-Diaz, a Mexican-American First Son of the United States. To my non-American readers, this means that one of his parents (in this case, his mother, Ellen Claremont) is the president of the United States of America. Another very important key character is Henry Wales, the prince of the United Kingdom.

These two characters live two very different, yet very similar lives. While one is a more extroverted, confident, fun-loving American, the other is a quieter, less rebellious, British royal. Yet both have a media presence as they are both at the heart of their respective countries’ political situations and systems. Both have to be careful so as not to ruin their reputations online or in real life, knowing there is media coverage pretty much everywhere they go out in public. 

Did I mention they both hate each other?

Since the 2016 Rio Olympics, Alex and Henry have hated each other. Alex thinks that Henry has been snobby to him and that leads to him being snobby back… it’s been four years and they still do not have the best opinion of one another, however polite they have to act on international television to keep the allyship and friendliness between countries alive. 

But an unexpected event forces them to pretend to be best friends in the public’s eyes. At first, it was only supposed to be for a little while, but it doesn’t take long for them to realise this has to last essentially forever.

The more they hang out and the more they get to learn about each other, the more it becomes less and less platonic… secrets are everywhere, whether revealed or kept behind doors. No, I will not specify which type of doors but I think we can all guess at this point. 

I absolutely LOVED this book. It’s quickly become one of my favourite standalones of all time. Casey McQuiston, you are a genius with words! 

I would recommend this to anyone in high school. It’s definitely a more mature book in both language and content but it’s nonetheless a freaking amazing book that I will treasure for the rest of my days. The amount of times I squealed, laughed, and fangirled over that book cannot be counted on both my hands! 

Five star read. Easiest rating of my life. 

Lore – Alexandra Bracken

This book follows the story of Melora ‘Lore’ Perseous, who is a descendant of the great hero Perseus. In this book, there are family trees where people are descendants of heroes and have a specific god that they honour from Greek Mythology. 

Every seven years, the Agon is an event where people can hunt gods and gain their powers and immortality for the next seven years. For example, this time the new Ares has named himself Wrath, and plans to end the Agon, keeping his powers forever. But that’s not all. With the help of a specific ancient poem that only Lore knows and has access to because of her bloodline, Wrath will not only be able to end the Agon, but will be able to gain ultimate power and be the only god left.

The story begins with a bang as Lore, after a wrestling match, finds someone she thought was long dead, as well as finds the goddess Athena broken and bleeding in an alleyway of her neighbourhood near Harlem, New York City. Lore has been using wrestling as an escape from the world of gods and danger. Lore is hiding from all this because one of the members of another bloodline killed her family when she was young, and now she would rather do anything else than reclaim her birthright as the last Perseide (descendant of Perseus). But when Wrath begins the search for the poem in order to gain this unlimited power and be the sole god left, Lore has no choice but to team up with Athena, her friend Miles, her long-thought-dead friend Castor who has taken the powers of Apollo, and Castor’s cousin Evander (or Van, for short). 

I will give this book three-and-a-half stars. I didn’t find it exciting enough to be given a four, but it’s not bad as a premise and there were even some interesting scenes and some perilous moments. The twists that I didn’t see coming didn’t seem to hit as hard as I thought they would, and there were almost too many characters with too much happening. 

But in the end it turned out well and I can definitely see the appeal of this book as a next step after reading Rick Riordan’s works (it has mild language to watch for as well).

So my final rankings for December (and my last ranking of 2022!):

  1. Red, White, and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston (5/5 stars!)
  2. Circe – Madeline Miller (4/5 stars!)
  3. Lore – Alexandra Bracken (3.5/5 stars!)

This post, however, is not only about my book reviews. Since we are going into a new year, I want to talk a bit about my plans for the new year. 

I have the next four blog posts planned (not drafted just yet) and they are going to be once a week. I want to try to get 50+ posts this year (one a week, if I can). 

I want to try to get my novel published (so stay tuned for that!).

I want to get myself verified on Instagram (is that even possible in a year? Let’s see! Also follow me @catherinekwrites if you haven’t yet!). 

I have lots more plans that I hope will come to fruition in 2023, but for now, these are all the spoilers you get!

Thanks for reading! Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out, and leave a comment and tell me your literary plans for the year, or any other New Year’s Resolutions that you may have (if you feel so inclined).

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

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My Favourite Books Of All Time

You know that book that you will recommend to anyone who’s just starting out with their literary journey. That book that you can read and reread and reread until someone’s reading a passage to you and you know exactly what’s coming next, what happened before, and how it comes back to bite the characters in the butt come the second book. 

Today I’m going to share with you guys my top series/books that will suck you in and leave you begging for more.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes Of Olympus/Trials of Apollo (Rick Riordan)

Rick Riordan has been my favourite author for years, and chances are you’ll be hearing a lot from me about Rick and his many series and endeavours relating to Camp Half Blood and the Percy Jackson series. He created this series for his son who was struggling with ADHD and dyslexia, and now it’s a world renowned series with spinoffs, movies (that suck), and more. The three series grouped together here are all technically one big storyline with similar characters and are all based on and around Greek mythology. It’s a pretty famous series already, but let me explain for those of you who have not read it yet. 

The first series (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) follows the story of Percy Jackson himself, who is a demigod (half human, half Greek God). He is the son of Poseidon, meaning he has power over the water (as well as some other cool abilities). He, along with most of his other demigod friends that he meets along the way, have ADHD and dyslexia, since the series was made for Rick’s son. There are five books in this series that all tell the story of how Percy and his friends help defeat Kronos the titan (a being who came even before the gods). You may sometimes see this series abbreviated to “PJO”. 

The second series (Heroes Of Olympus) follows multiple points of view all throughout the series. It follows (mostly) nine demigods: Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Reyna, and Nico as they try to stop the primordial goddess Gaea from awakening. Gaea is the Greek personification of the Earth. So if the earth literally woke up and had a mind of its own… things would get pretty hairy pretty fast. This series is sometimes abbreviated to “HOO”. 

The third series (Trials of Apollo) follows the god Apollo after he has been cast down as a mortal by the name Lester Papadopoulous. Apparently ancient dead Roman Emperors have come back from the dead and are trying to get power and immortality. Apollo/Lester, along with demigod friends that help him get used to his newfound mortality, have to stop the emperors from obtaining this insane power. And this series is sometimes abbreviated to “TOA”. 

Magnus Chase and the Gods Of Asgard (Rick Riordan)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (MCGA for short) is not based on Greek myth, but rather Norse Myth. You might already be familiar with the Thor movies, including characters such as Odin, Loki, Thor himself, and many more that reference this mythology. 

After living on the streets since his mother’s death, Magnus dies in his first battle at the age of sixteen and is brought to Valhalla, the afterlife for those who have died a heroic death. He learns he is the son of the Norse god Frey, god of summer, abundance, and wealth. This gives him special abilities that few on Earth (or any other of the nine worlds) have. Each of the three books in this series have their own plot and are very easily distinguishable, but are also part of one big storyline. It has a very diverse cast and very loveable characters, from Halfborn Gunderson, the barbarian, to TJ (Thomas Jefferson) Jr, who died in the American Civil War and is the son to a freed slave and the Norse god of war, Tyr. Each are unique characters with developed backstory and great personalities… 

Honestly, you cannot convince me that there is any series out there more perfect than this one. If you’re starting out in the Rick Riordan universe, this is a must-read — and highly underrated!

The Kane Chronicles (Rick Riordan)

I’ll have to admit, the Kane Chronicles is not my favourite out of all the books Rick Riordan has written, but it is still a great series, intriguing and easy-to-read. 

The Kane Chronicles, or TKC for short, is based on Egyptian mythology, and follows Carter and Sadie Kane on their adventures. Since the death of their mother, Carter and Sadie have been living very vastly different lives. Carter travels around the world with his father Julius Kane, a renowned Egyptologit with many secrets. He is mostly homeschooled and is never in one country for too long. Sadie, on the other hand, lives a calm life in Britain with her grandmother and grandfather. Carter is the more responsible, quieter, older sibling who would rather not rush to do anything and think it out first. Sadie is a wild child, adorned with combat boots and colourful hair. Planning is not a very often-used word in her vocabulary. 

An accident at a museum in which their father mysteriously disappears, they are introduced to a world of magic and deities long thought to be forgotten in history books. Turns out the gods of Egypt are alive and kicking in the modern world.

But if the gods are alive, so are the monsters… and the demons… and Apophis, the chaos snake that could bring about the end of the world… 

The Lord Of The Rings/The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Where do I even start with how incredible this series is?

I’ve talked about my love for Tolkien’s works in my Classics post so if you want to read my recommendation there you can. But in a nutshell, The Hobbit is the prequel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. 

The Hobbit is about Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, going on an adventure with a wizard named Gandalf and twelve dwarves, to reclaim the dwarves’ homeland at the Lonely Mountain, which is unfortunately inhabited by a dragon. Along the way, Bilbo finds a magic ring which can turn him invisible, which we end up learning the significance of in the LoTR trilogy. 

The Lord of the Rings is about Frodo Baggins (Bilbo’s nephew) who inherits Bilbo’s ring, and learns from Gandalf, who by now is an old friend to the Baggins family, that this is the one Ring Of Power. It was created by Sauron, a Dark Lord who sought power over all Middle Earth. This ring corrupts all those who have it until they essentially cannot live without it. Frodo, along with eight other members of the Fellowship of the Ring, has to throw the ring into the ‘fires of Mount Doom’ to end Sauron’s reign of fear. 

Middle Earth has such a rich history, so much so that sometimes you forget that one person, J. R. R. Tolkien created this series that has now become an international phenomenon and a classic loved by many. 

Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery)

This Canadian classic series has eight books:

  • Anne of Green Gables
  • Anne of Avonlea
  • Anne of the Island
  • Anne of Windy Poplars
  • Anne’s House of Dreams
  • Anne of Ingleside
  • Rainbow Valley 
  • Rilla of Ingleside

The story is set in the late 1800s on Prince Edward Island. It’s become such an international hit that there is now the Green Gables heritage site in Cavendish, PEI as well as a historic site for Lucy Maud Montgomery’s childhood home. 

The first book is about how Anne Shirley is adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert by accident. They wanted to adopt a young boy to help Matthew on the farm as he got older, but through word of mouth and a big mixup, they ended up with Anne. Matthew, being the sweet older gentleman that he is, is immediately charmed by Anne. Marilla, on the other hand, would rather send her back.

After Anne finally gets to stay, the story continues, with Anne’s life in Avonlea and in Green Gables as she falls in love with the shores of PEI, while she tries her best to get Marilla to love her, and to be worthy of staying at Green Gables. It’s a story about an unexpected family and finding a home where you might least expect it. 

So there you have it! My top five book series recommendations. If you check them out to read, great! I can’t wait to hear about what you think! If it’s not your style, that’s fine as well! 

Thanks for reading! Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out, and leave a comment if you feel so inclined!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska 

Posted on by Catherine

Rating and Ranking: November Reads

November was a very busy month, but I still managed to read a grand total of four books this month! Here are my thoughts and honest reviews on each one. Enjoy! 

To Kill A Kingdom – Alexandra Christo

If you’ve known me long enough, you’ll hear me say that I’ve decided to read a certain book to ‘make my own opinion on it’. When books get popular and hyped up on the internet, sometimes it’s worth it just to pick up the book and see if it’s really worth reading. To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo was popular on Tiktok and across the book-ternet for about a year or so now and has been on my TBR for almost that long. I’m not one to hop on trends, so yes it took me this long to end up reading it! I chose to read it for my English class but that doesn’t ruin it for me at all considering how long it’s been since I wanted to read it. 

To Kill A Kingdom is about a siren named Lira, known among the humans as the Prince’s Bane since she is known for killing princes and stealing their hearts. It is a tradition among sirens to get human hearts on their birthdays, but since Lira is the daughter of the Sea Queen, all her hearts have come from princes. So when Lira breaks this tradition and gets a heart two weeks early, her mother punishes her severely. Angry at the humiliation Lira knows she will now face, she decides to get the heart of Elian Midas, a pirate prince who has a drive to kill sirens, especially her. When that fails, the Sea Queen decides to turn Lira into a human. If she can’t get Elian’s heart by her birthday, she will be human forever, and will never get the chance to be queen of the sea.

I will give this read four and a half stars. I really enjoyed reading it. All the characters were intriguing in their own ways, from the secrets they keep to the witty sarcastic asides to the cold, ruthless threats. Lira is a cutthroat killer with a twinge of kindness, loyalty, and devotion in her, so she is a relatable character even with the crimes she has committed. Elian says he is not a good man, but he has softer traits that make him likeable, and he is a natural leader aboard his ship, the Saad. 

However I do feel that the romance was a bit rushed. They hated each other so much and then it seemed that one event flipped a switch and suddenly they liked each other and the mutual admiration and pining began. 

However, all in all, this was a great read, and I really recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, romance, adventure, and fierce action scenes!

Obie Is Man Enough – Schuyler Bailar

I don’t remember where I learned about this book. I think I found it randomly in the library and wanted to read it. I absolutely loved it.

Obie is a Korean-American trans boy who, after getting kicked off his school swim team by his transphobic coach, joins a new team. The book follows his journey as he works towards the qualifications for the Junior Olympics. However, there’s a few setbacks: all his friends were on his old swim team, and now that he’s kicked off, there is a tension and a distancing that there hasn’t been before. The worst is that his transphobic coach’s son Clyde, who used to be his friend, is now being hateful towards Obie, deadnaming and using slurs against him. The book shows Obie’s struggles with transphobia as well as the struggles of growing up as a teen, an athlete, and an Asian-American boy.

Another thing about this book that was interesting to learn was that the author, Schuyler Bailar, is a trans-masc athlete, just like Obie. The NCAA is essentially the league that collegiate athletes in America compete in. Some famous NCAA schools/teams include the University of California at Los Angeles, or UCLA, Bruins, or the University of Florida Gators. Schuyler chose to transition which could have lost him the opportunity to be an NCAA champion, but it didn’t, and he is the first trans athlete to compete in NCAA history. He also has appeared on talk shows and has gotten numerous awards. You can visit his website here.

I will give this a five-star read. However, it does contain sensitive topics and can be explicit (I can’t believe that it’s rated as a 9-13 year old read!). I highly advise you to look up content warnings if you think anything here might be upsetting or triggering, especially for people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and/or have had past experiences with homo/transphobia. 

Marilla Before Anne – Louise Michalos

I bought this book at a small bookstore in downtown Halifax (thanks, Bookmark!) and even though it was not written by Lucy Maud Montgomery herself, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Marilla Before Anne is about Marilla Cuthbert and her life before she and her brother Matthew adopted feisty, red-headed Anne Shirley. There is a lot of foreshadowing and hinting at events in the Anne series, and a lot of details that are mentioned once in the series make their appearance in this book. It’s a mix of coming-of-age as well as an Anne of Green Gables fanfiction. 

What I like about this book is that you don’t have to have read Anne of Green Gables. It does help, of course, considering the characters are the same (most of them) and the significance of certain events would make more sense if you’ve read the original Anne book beforehand. But if you haven’t, you can read it just like any old book, and not have any difficulties understanding. 

But one thing that kind of irked me about this book is how much it strayed from canon and the original plot/worldbuilding of Anne of Green Gables. I’ve read another similar book, Before Green Gables, which follows Anne’s story before getting adopted by the Cuthbert siblings. However, while Before Green Gables expanded on what was canon and turned it into a longer novel, Marilla Before Anne puts a completely new twist on how Anne and Marilla end up meeting, and their relationship, which doesn’t match the original plot. Most of the twists were fun and I enjoyed the way that the author here changed certain aspects of the original to make a different story out of what Lucy Maud Montgomery had written in 1908. But there were some that I didn’t quite like because I didn’t like how much of a stretch it was from Montgomery’s Anne book 

I give this book a three-and-a-half star rating. It was enjoyable and I liked the many twists and new perspectives on the original novel, but there were some parts that made me look at the book like I look at some of my maths homework: I understand the concepts, and I get why it works, but it still makes my brain do a double take. 

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to books and book genres, and fanfiction is no different. If you’re someone who likes books that put a spin on classics, or if you like when authors ask ‘what if’ and make a new novel out of that, this twist on the incredible Anne of Green Gables is for you.

The Ivies – Alexa Donne

Before reading: 

I normally don’t read horror or mystery or thriller novels, but I decided to give this one a try. All I had heard about it was that it gave dark academia vibes, which is something I’m interested in. But there is blood as part of the cover image. There is murder and dark secrets involved. I don’t quite know what I’m getting into, but I’m excited nonetheless… 

After reading:

Whoa. 

That was an adventure. 

I loved it, but it was definitely more of an involved read than I thought it would be. 

The Ivies is about a group of girls at a very exclusive private high school called Claflin. These girls work together to sabotage and expose people in order to get into their dream Ivy League Schools. Each of the girls is ‘assigned’ a university to go to so that they don’t compete against each other in the end. 

The main character Olivia Winters is ‘assigned’ to Penn State by the rest of the Ivies, however she wants to go to Harvard. As a student who is on scholarship instead of having her rich family pay (as do most of the other students at Claflin), she is doing her best to fit in, even if that means joining the ruthless Ivies. 

Avery Montfort is an heiress of a large fortune and is the ‘leader’ of the Ivies. She assigned herself to go to Harvard (duh) but not only is it a great school, her family’s past few generations have been to and graduated from Harvard. 

Sierra Watson is a coding and rowing star, and her ‘assigned’ school is Yale. Margot Kim is a budding actress and her ‘assigned’ school is Princeton. Emma Russo is a modern Renaissance girl, having a very varied skill set. Her ‘assigned’ school is Brown.

When Olivia decides to apply to Harvard behind the rest of the Ivies’ back, she never expects to get in… or Avery to get rejected. A few days later, Emma (who also made it into Harvard) is found dead, and now fingers are pointed towards Avery. Could she kill her friend over a college admission? And is Olivia next?

I loved this book. It was dramatic and exciting, and you never knew who to trust. Everyone seems to have their own motives and their own versions of what happened. What is on the outside is not what’s on the inside in the majority of cases, and when new secrets and new clues are brought up, it could turn the whole case upside down. Sometimes people are likeable, sometimes those same people are bitter and closed off. There’s a sprinkling of romance as well, which I like. 

I will give this book a 4 out of 5. It was my first taste of mystery and I have to say I really enjoyed it! I would recommend it to people who enjoy mystery and who like trying to solve the story’s mystery themselves. Maybe those of you who read a lot of mystery could find this underwhelming, but who knows? I think it’s definitely worth a read! 

So here is my final rating and ranking:

  1. Obie is Man Enough – Schuyler Bailar (5/5 stars!)
  2. To Kill A Kingdom – Alexandra Christo (4.5/5 stars!)
  3. The Ivies – Alexa Donne (4/5 stars!)
  4. Marilla Before Anne – Louise Michalos (3.5/5 stars!)

Alright, that sums up my book reviews for November? Do you agree with my ratings? Would you be interested in reading any of these? Do let me know! 

Thanks for reading! Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out, and leave a comment and tell me if you plan to do NaNo or not (if you feel so inclined).

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska 

Subscribe to see future posts as they come out!